Legend
by Emotional0v3r
Summary: "He's not some smiley hero who enjoys adventures and laughter and fun. He's a severely disturbed, selfish boy who has no qualms about kidnapping and killing." Isabella longs to get away from the dreary aspects of her life. She would give up anything. She finds her wishes answered when she arrives in Neverland. She finds that it's not only a place of dreams but a home for nightmares
1. Character Profile

**Author Note : This is a new that I've started. It will be a dark mix between Twilight and Peter Pan.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight nor do I own Peter Pan. The rights belong to Stephenie Meyers and JM Barrie.**

**The actual story will begin on the next chapter. This is simply a character profile to eliminate the possibility of confusion. **

**PLEASE READ BEFORE STARTING THE STORY**

***I have changed descriptions of some of the characters to make them fit more into the role that I envisioned them in.**

* * *

**THE LOST BOYS**

**Edward**

**Emmett/Ace**

**Jasper/Knox**

**Peter/Dagger**

**Garrett/Blaze**

**James/Gadget**

**THE MERMAIDS**

**Irina**

**Kate **

**Tanya**

**THE FAIRIES/SPRITES**

**Alice/Poison**

**THE NATIVES**

**Leah/Princess Clearwater**

**Jacob**

**Sam**

**Embry **

**Quil**

**THE PIRATES**

**Aro/Captain Hook**

**Cauis **

**Marcus**

**Demitri **

**Felix**

**Alec**

**Jane**

**OTHERS**

**The Lady in White/Esme**

**Vampire/The Bellow**

**Werewolf/The Saber**


	2. Chapter one

**Disclaimer : I do not own Twilight or Peter Pan. The rights belong to Stephenie Meyers and JM Barrie.**

**This is a new story.**

**This is purely fiction.**

**Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

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No one knew how it began.

That was one thing yet to be defined, even after all of these years. The secrets that surrounded this place was what made it so mystical. Everyone had their own accounts of the truth, twisted and distorted among the wildness of their very imaginations. Some believed that there was no beginning, it simply just was and had always existed beyond space and time that occurred in the worlds whom were oblivious to it. Others say that it was The Lady in White who created this place and everything that was magical inside of it.

It was a woeful tale, one that ended so differently than how it began.

...

He was stretched out inside of a netted hammock, nestled between two giant oak trees that towered aimlessly, submerged within a forest of many excitements. It was still all around him, not a sound to be heard besides the incessant chirping of sky critters and the shallowness of his inhale.

The boy was dreaming softly. It was not something that he allowed himself to do very often. It was a dangerous notion indeed. One could cut him down quite easily if they were able to creep upon him without disrupting his slumber. If they were not sly enough however, which he knew to be true in this case, he would slash their throats before laughing at their feeble attempts.

_"To dream for the rest of my life would be an awfully big adventure."_

The voices only came to him when he was unconscious. It was the only time they could find him mellow enough to be willing to listen. They came several at a time, some were indistinct, in languages he did not practice in but easily understood.

The voices came and went. None of them lingered. None of them repeated themselves. None of them ever came twice, only once and then they faded away to make room for the others that needed to be heard. The voices said what they needed to, the boy listened, and then he decided what he wanted to do about them.

_"To die would be an awfully big adventure."_

It was odd. The boy was sure somehow that he'd listened to that voice before. His youthful tendencies rendered him forgetful however. He could not be entirely sure. It had never happened that way before.

"You came back?" He had not always been able to make direct communication with the entities. It would take him extensive training to come across the ability, though he found the skill to be quite trite. The voices usually had nothing to say back to him for they would dissipate before time permitted.

_"Why yes."_

There was surprise in the tone, almost as if it had not expected to be recognized.

_"I was unaware that you were listening."_

"I am always listening." He thought maybe this was the sign he had been waiting for because he'd surely been waiting for something. He thought maybe the key to all of his problems might lay inside of the hands belonging to this persistent voice. There must have been a reason why it would come to him twice. "You must be longing to be heard."

_"To be freed." _

"It is very much in my power and I shall answer to your wishes."

_"How?"_

The connection was fading now. He could only focus on one voice for so long when there were many others trying to fight their way to the brink of his attention. It was an endless battle. An urge to be heard and rescued.

"I will send for you when the time is right."

Noise outside of his realm of sleep shook him awake. He jolted himself up, prepared for a fight, dagger clutched tightly in his right hand. His senses were on high alert as his head snapped from each side to survey every detail of the dense greenery that encompassed him so snugly.

There was a low rustling in the trees above him, a disruption which caused a flock of winged creatures to soar from out of their hiding spots. His eyes narrowed for he was sure that something was stalking him, a calm ghost of a person that blended so perfectly with the night. He was grateful for this, even if that meant a chase would have to occur between himself and his pursuer. The sword on his hip would not rust with neglect tonight.

Before he gave himself away to the dangers of the night, he stopped to ponder the sense of responsibility that sat just underneath his nose. He was aware that there was something he needed to do. What that task was, however, he could not recall.

Another portent sound resonated from above, as something whistled through the air on its way down to the ground. His prowler was becoming a bit impatient with his stall. A gift was sent to him from the branches that hovered above his head. It landed on his bare chest with a resonating thud.

The slowness of a smile crept onto his face, as the mutilated body of a squirrel twitched upon his skin. Thick red blood oozed warmth onto him and he decided that he quite liked the color tonight. He would do all that he could to ensure that he would see more of it. He was in the mood for a game.

His sense of responsibility drifted away from his mind rather easily when his immature propensities sprung to surface. He decided that he would save the serious stuff for later. He did not remember them anyhow, though he was sure that if it was of importance that it would back to him later.

Until then, he would play.

**CHAPTER ONE:**

**1918**

Isabella was a ruddy one. Seventeen years of age, stuck between the transition of being both a woman and a girl. She did not know which she wanted to be more. There were tribulations that came with being older of course. There were duties she had to uphold and things that were expected of her simply because she was a female. Being younger was not much better of an alternative. There were things that she could not do because of her age and things she could not be. She felt controlled and that was something she did not like very much.

She longed to be freed.

"Isabella." It was morning at last. The remnants of her lucid world were pulled apart by strings. She was welcomed to reality far too abruptly. "There has been terrible news."

The girl sat up at the sound of this. Her nanny looked startled with discomfort and Isabella longed to shake the words out of the woman's hesitant mouth. She felt a piercing hollowness drop into the pit of her empty stomach, closing in on her so early in the morning. Her eyes widened at the thought of what she would already know.

"Your father has succumbed." The nanny was contrite. She was an elderly lady with long gray hair. She did not have children of her own which was strange. She'd only given one suitor her hand in marriage and when her love died in the unforgiving hands of war she never thought to marry again. She felt more content to intertwine her life within the confines of others. She liked being a part of families that she would never call her own. She did not like to be the bearer of bad news and she was not quite done with her delivery. "The flu has spread ways to your mother. The doctors do not think that she will last the night."

Isabella's head was reeling of course. She could not wrap her head around the tragic turn of events. Just last month the world had seemed fine. Everyone was healthy. Everyone was well. It seemed like the Spanish flu had come directly out of nowhere, plaguing England and everyone that was to the wander the perilous streets. It was a ghastly illness that had people dropping like flies.

Some people could feel fine in the morning but would be dead by nightfall. People who caught the Spanish Flu but did not die from it, often died later from complications caused by bacteria, such as pneumonia. The more wealthy families were able to afford medication and visits by the neighborhood doctors.

Isabella's family had not been so lucky. Her father had been a normal, working-class man. He'd spent most hours of his day groveling inside of one of the many engine factories that loitered the streets of England. Her mother was a seamstress who sometimes was paid to create beautiful gowns for the upper class's extravagant balls. They could not have hoped to save themselves.

"What is to happen to Junior?" Isabella had no qualms about herself. She was already aware of her fate. She'd been getting groomed to prepare for betrothal for two years now. She was at the age of marrying now. Many suitors had already expressed their interest in her. Her hand would be taken in marriage and she'd be forced to belong to another man's family. She accepted her destiny.

Her brother, however, would be forced to take another route. He was freshly turned fourteen and of working age. She dreaded the thought of him being forced into one of those heartless factories, operating dangerous machines that could leave him without limbs if he were to slip up. Worse than that, she foresaw the possibility of him being drafted to participate in the senseless war. She would not be able to sleep at night with him out in such treacherous circumstances.

"Most likely, he will be admitted into a home for boys." The nanny said clearly, swallowing the lump inside of her throat as she watched the young lady in front of her shattering into pieces. "And he'll most likely have to go to work to earn his bed inside of the home."

Isabella knew this fact to be very true. Those orphanages were terrible places for children. The house mothers gave little to no regard about the well-being of the young ones. They often made deals with the factory owners all over the town to send them child workers for cheap. This assured that the owners did not have to pay their workers much and the little that the orphanage would be offered would do well to keep it running. The children would have to rise at the break of dawn each morning to work the wee hours of the days away, some so tired that they would find themselves falling into the machines to be chopped away.

Junior was the only family that Isabella had left. She could not bear the thought of losing him. Before she was aware of what she was doing, she was out of the comfort of her bed and racing down the hallway towards her brother's bedroom. She did not knock on his door before she entered it. She found Junior sitting on his bed. He was looking at nothing in particular, maybe the wall or maybe even the chipping paint. He said nothing upon her arrival but that was not unexpected. He was one to rarely say anything.

"Father is dead." She could not believe the words, they sprang from between her pursed lips quite easily. They sent dreadful tremors wracking throughout the whole of her. She found that she had to hold onto the knob of his door to keep herself from completely collapsing. She did not want him to spot her weakness. She had to keep herself strong for him. "Nanny says that mother is expected to perish as well."

Junior said nothing for some time. He just sat still. Though she could not see his entire face, his profile provided enough of his features for her to see the reflection of her father in him somewhere. His curly brown hair was messily strewn and his eyes were deep brown. He was a child but seemed so much older than that somehow.

"I am aware of these things already." His voice was sullen, quietly articulating his sadness into life. "Are we making plans to visit mother before the day is over?"

"We must." Isabella declared, shaking her head to relieve some of the heaviness that was forcing an excruciating head ache upon her. "This may be our last chance. I'll leave you to get dressed."

"Bella?" She had turned to leave the room but was stopped by the sound of her brother's voice. In that moment he sounded so much like a child. She looked back to him and he was facing her fully now. His eyes were wide with questions that she would hate to answer truthfully. "I'll be sent away...won't I?"

Isabella looked down into her fidgeting hands, there was no nice way to explain anything that was happening. Her brother was past what one would call smart. He was far past his age level of intellect and maturity. He knew things and he understood things that even his sister did not.

"It has not been confirmed yet." She thought to pacify him would be best. He was going through much more turmoil than what he was willing to actually show her. He needed comfort in as many ways possible.

"Well, I'd rather die than to become someone's slave. I will not be forced into a factory and I will not be forced to become a soldier. I'd rather scavenge the streets, become a petty thief. I'd kill myself before I let another man dictate my life."

Isabella gasped at his words. She was utterly and entirely appalled. She stalked over to him with a stern expression on her own face. It was the only one she could wear to cover the despair behind her features. She kneeled before him and made him look into her eyes.

"You mustn't speak like that Charles." She saw that the frown on his face was dissipating into something incredibly desperate. He was much more frightened than he was upset. They had lived a comfortable life up until now. He knew that that comfort would disappear before the two of them even had a chance to ponder it. "I will make you a promise and you know that we never go back on our promises."

A sort of smile threatened to spill across his face. "What shall you promise me on this morning?"

"I promise that I will get us out of this." She looked past the skepticism on his face. She looked past the fact that she was just talking bravely. She had no real ideas about how to keep them together or to keep them from being forced into lives that they did not want. Her promise was only for the sake of his feelings and he knew that to be true.

"How?" He inquired, raising his brows in a disbelief that almost shattered her resolve into nothingness. He looked back at her with chocolate-brown eyes that wanted to relinquish their faith into her hands. He looked back at his older sister with a plea that she knew she could not fulfill.

"Just trust me." She said, because she did not have much of anything else to use for a rebuttal. She wanted him to believe in her but at the same time she was relieved that he did not. It would only stop the two of them from becoming disappointed. "You just have to trust me. Think happy thoughts and believe."

Junior pursed his lips. He was not a dreamer like his sister. He wanted to shoot her childishness down quite bluntly, but he decided that now would not be the appropriate time to crush her dreams. Dreams would be the only thing that she had left.

"I will get dressed." He announced, twirling a piece of her wayward hair around her face. She smiled at his affection. The two siblings were closer than either of the two even knew. "Then we shall set out to visit mother."

** ... **

The influenza patients were kept in temporary hospitals because most were expected to perish fleetingly so. There was a building in the town circuit that was filled with cases of the Spanish Influenza pandemic. The rooms were overflowing with hundreds of patients, each laying upon retractable cots no less than a few feet away from each other.

The boy and the girl were advised not to go inside of the facility. The germs were many and steadily circulating. They were told to do the sensible thing and stay away. They were assured that their parents would not want them doing something so foolish that would have them succumbing to the illness like they had. The practical suggestions that were offered to them nearly worked on the girl, but her brother would not let anyone tell him what he should be doing.

Junior took Isabella's hand and pulled her through the doors that the doctors had attempted to guard them from. They found their mother almost immediately. She was near the left side of the room, next to a window that looked out towards the town. Her two children surveyed the depleting condition of their mother with heavy hearts. She was ashen and much more weak than they have ever witnessed her before. Her light-brown hair was drenched in sweat and stuck to her forehead. She did not have enough strength to swipe the tresses away like she normally would have done. Isabella almost took it upon herself to complete the action for her mother but Junior reached forward to stop her before she did.

"Hello mother." He said at once, voice shaky with the effort of an adolescent trying to be a man. He saw that her closed eyes barely moved in response to him. He knew that she recognized his voice however. "You're doing great."

He looked towards his sister wearily, not knowing why'd he fixed his lips to lie so abruptly. The girl would pat his shoulder in a consoling manner.

"Mother, you don't have to worry a bit. I will take good care of Charles." Isabella found that she was telling herself this more than she was telling her mother. "I will see that he finishes school and becomes an educated man. He is much too intelligent to be wasted away in the army."

"I will do all that I can to make you and father proud of me." Junior promised lightly, nodding his dark head to assure himself. He looked down at what was left of his mother. Just last month she had been prancing around the kitchen with glee inside of her eyes. She was the most joyful person that he'd ever been blessed to know. He could not stop himself from becoming choked up. "I will remember every piece of advice that you've ever taken the time to share with me. You are truly appreciated."

Isabella was not completely sure but she could of sworn that she'd seen something pleasant flash across her mother's face before she saw nothing at all again.

"We should leave her to rest." The brown-haired teenager would say and her brother followed her without protest.

**...**

Upon leaving the building, a young suitor by the name of Michael Newton approached Isabella quite confidently. He was one of England's most eligible bachelors, though he was almost ten years her senior. His father owned a couple of small shops across the town which had been passed down to him for management. It was to Isabella's knowledge that not long before the pandemic struck he'd expressed to her father his interest in possibly wedding her.

She knew exactly what Micheal saw when he looked at her. He saw her milky, smooth skin. The face of a lovely young girl that had the ability to be a women when permitted. A body that was not fully developed but woman enough that her curves were emphasized through the fabrics of her dresses. He saw long dark hair that shaded mysterious dark eyes, plump lips that had never had a single kiss stolen from them, and the personality of a virgin who wanted to stay innocent forever. He saw an attractive porcelain doll that he could keep to himself for entertainment.

"What a pleasure." He would greet her cordially, tipping his top-hat towards her in a representation of respect. "I had not expected to run into you here."

"We were visiting our mother." She announced quietly, not able to keep herself confident enough to peer into his eyes. He was an attractive man but if Isabella was being completely honest with herself, she had no idea on how to keep a man enticed with her. She had no knowledge on how to please one and she found them to be extremely intimidating. "She has seen the last of her days."

"I must say that I am terribly sorry." He said this earnestly, offering her the lesser of his duplicitous smiles. He would love to do away with her. "Your mother was a wonderful woman."

"Thank you." She replied, glancing towards her brother who wore no expressions of politeness. She wanted to nudge him for his blatant display of disrespect but she figured it would be best not to bring attention to him. He was quiet enough that Michael had not thought to acknowledge him.

"I am glad that I was able to run into you. Even if the circumstances are not as pleasant as I would have hoped." He looked down at her with all of his intentions written across his attractive face. Isabella thought that she did not like what she saw there. "I would like to invite you over to my home tomorrow for tea."

She looked at him, without much of anything to say. There was not much that she could do in a situation like this. Michael Newton wanted her and she knew that she was in no place to deny someone of his stature. If he would take her hand in marriage, maybe he could offer her brother a job inside of one of his shops. Then she would not have to see him in the danger of a factory. Maybe she would be able to keep them together.

"I am quite flattered with your offer." She let this be known, showing him a smile that she knew he would like. "I would not miss it for the world."

"That pleases me greatly." He nodded at her, blue eyes sparkling with something that told her he appreciated the way that she looked more than he appreciated the thought of a wife in general. "I will send for you tomorrow at noon."

"I am surprised at your naivety." Junior would say, once he and his sister were out of hearing distance from the man whose reputation preceded him.

"And what do you possibly mean by that?" They had to take their walk back to their house. They could not afford any other means of transportation. Isabella allowed herself to view upon a life with Mike, one that would ensure that her brother got the best of all the things he would need. She felt horrible disloyalty in herself for pushing the thought of her parents out of the confines of her mind but she thought that worrying about them would do her no good. She could not continue to look back because she was not going that way.

She did not know what would become of her. She did not know what would become of her brother. If she had a chance to put a direction on those things she would use all that was in her power to do so.

"You would allow yourself to be taken on by some corrupt idiot that would plow you into his deepest fantasies?" Junior spat his contempt out of his mouth like it tasted especially bitter. "He'd have you carry his child while he tastes the nectar between every women's legs in England who succumbs to his premeditated charm!"

Isabella stopped in her tracks before her harrowing brother had even gotten the last of his sentence out. She looked at him in astonishment, the inappropriateness of his words had startled her into complete stillness. He glared back at her with an anger that she did not quite understand.

"You are but a child." She finally said, her voice was low and patient. Her brother had a way with losing his temper at times. "You would not understand."

"Oh, but you would?" He scoffed at this incantation of hers. It was what she always uttered to him when she did not know the correct way to explain herself. "You know less about yourself than you even do a man."

Isabella shook her head shortly. She never was one to get mad immediately. She and her brother were almost total and complete opposites. It was the truth. Sometimes they attracted but most of the times they repelled. Junior was too stubborn and Isabella was too impossibly irritating.

"What else would you expect me to do?" Junior had his moments when Isabella knew that he was not thinking sensibly and she knew that this was one of those moments. "Marrying into a family of wealth would do good for the both of us."

"Laying down your morals for Michael Newton to play with them as he pleases will only do good for you." He looked at her angrily, hands balled to his side in fists. Junior was the kind of person that took things way to far. Every single time. He had an acidulous tongue. He was like Michael Newton in a way. He knew exactly what to say. But not to make people feel good about themselves. Just the opposite. "I thought our parents did more good of a job in raising you than you show. Here they are dead and all they have to show for it is a tramp of a daughter and a son destined for the factories."

She reacted before she had the chance to contain her annoyance. She'd slapped him so quickly that he'd barely saw it coming. His face turned only slightly from the force however. The pink of her print was still painted across his pallid face nonetheless. She was remorseful before she was anything else. She knew that Junior was only reacting so violently because he was under stress. She knew that he was the kind of boy that had no outlet for all of the things that he kept pent up inside of him. He was growing up also, more of a man than he was considered a boy. The grown-up aspects of life were a burden to him that she witnessed him failing to hold up.

"I hope he does the dirtiest of his deeds to you." He spat this venomously, she could feel the sharpness of his words slicing through every part of her. Her eyes widened into almost saucers because for a second her brother actually looked like he meant it.

He did not say anything else, and Isabella looked down from the expression on his face just before the anger fell away and was replaced with hurt. He turned on his heels abruptly and stalked away from where she stood. She watched him walk away and never made a move to stop his trek. He needed to cool off and when he did she would see him at home. They would talk about this all later, when they both had a piece of mind.

**...**

The night came quickly and Junior did not return. Isabella did not leave the house to look for him. He did this quite often. In fact, sometimes when he would stalk away angrily he would not return until days later. She could only pray that he was safe out there on the bitter streets. She would never forgive herself if something were to happen to him.

She laid down for bed that night, more tired than she had been in a while. She could not, however, find an efficient way to fall asleep. Her mind was on an over-drive. The thought of her mother and father cold, wrapped up in body bags, and void of life kept springing into the very front of her mind. It was the only thing she could picture when she allowed her lids to fall over her eyes and it was keeping her up way past the appropriate bed time of any person.

It was still all around her but sleep was a foreign concept it seemed. She knew that this was not good. She did not want to wake up the next morning with the evidence of tire written across her features. Blotchy eyes and purple shadows would be rather unsightly for a tea date. She did not want to ruin what slight chance she did have with Michael. One day Junior would come to understand her decisions.

She could not be a child anymore but she was still not ready to be a women. She would do almost anything, sacrifice everything to get a chance at paradise with her brother.

_"To dream for the rest of my life would be an awfully big adventure."_

It was the last thought that passed through her level of consciousness. Her eyelids drooped shut a second time and stayed that way. She could of sworn that she saw something before she fell into her slumber. It was something of a glowing, golden light. It was like a flickering lantern that left small trails of pastel illuminations behind it's travel. It spun into an orb of warm cinders in front of her face. She could feel the light dancing on her. She did not have the strength the pull herself away from her exhaustion however before she succumbed completely.

**...**

When she opened her eyes, she was no longer in the security of her bed room. The first thing she noticed before the sleep faded away from her vision was that she was completely and utterly soaked. Her pink night gown clung to her body for dear life.

She laid still for several lingering moments. The feeling of moist grass stuck to the bare parts of her. It was cold and bitter around her. The sound of an indistinct animal moving throughout its habitat rung to life inside of her ears. She sat up very quickly, earning herself a moment of whiplash from the uncontrolled movement. It was then that she see saw. She was not in her bed anymore. She was far away from her bed.

She was surrounded in trees. That was all that she knew. It was pitch black and all around her there were trees but no indication that there was anyone around who might know how to lead her out of this forest. Beside her there seemed to be a lake of some sorts. It was blacker than the sky that sat above her and it appeared rather bottomless. From a distance however, she could see that the forest continued on the other side of the lake. The trees on the other side were less dense which might mean that it would be easier to navigate through them.

She was very disoriented and very much confused. She had no idea how she could have ended up in such a place. She only knew that she could not sit in this one spot for very long. She saw two choices in front of her. She could attempt to swim across the murky waters, disregarding the nightmares that might be lurking beneath the surface of the shadowy waves. She could try to make it onto the other side in the weary hopes that something did not grab a hold of her to pull her into the trenches below before she was able to climb to safety. Or she could take a late night rendezvous through the labyrinth of green foliage that was enclosing her against her will. She could pretend that she had not heard the rustling of what might be a predator and pray that it would not be searching for a midnight snack if she were to run into it.

Isabella stood to her feet cautious enough. She decided that she would take a short trek throughout the forest and then return to where she had awaken. Waiting until morning struck to start her travel back to civilization seemed to be a sensible idea. She was still curious as to where she was and she wanted to test her bravery while it stood in front of her.

She started forward. Thoughts of Junior were on her mind. She knew that he would return home and find her missing. He would be startled and afraid all at once. She felt bad for abandoning him even if that had not been her intention. The thought of Mike was also on her mind. If she did not return before noon he would think that she'd deliberately stood him up. That impression would quite possibly ruin everything that she'd wanted to establish with him. The optimism within her deflated.

A noise somewhere off to her right alarmed her. If she was not mistaken it was the sound of leaves being crushed under the weight of someone's feet. The absurd thing was the fact that she had not made the noise. She stood motionless and the volume of the environment appeared to mute itself simultaneously. Even the restless birds began to hold their breaths. Isabella felt something eerie wash over her.

She began walking again and made her pace a little faster. It did not take long for her to realize that she was being followed. She could distinguish the other set of footsteps apart from her own as they tried to match her step for step. The footsteps behind her were more dominant than her own. They were sure of were they were going and there was no hesitation in their movements. Isabella almost thought to stop and ask them for help, but she knew that they would have addressed her by now if they were simply a harmless trekker. Her stalker was sly and intended to come across her unnoticed. She could not imagine why they would want to sneak upon her except that they were intending on hurting her.

She stopped in her tracks again, abruptly so. She'd wanted to see if the sounds behind her would stop as well. Silence fell upon the forest once again. She turned herself around to see if she could spot the person that was following her and she was incredibly surprised when she found out that they were much closer to her than she'd originally thought. They were only a mere hundred feet away from where she stood.

Her stalker was nothing but a shadow in the darkness. She could see a vague outline of someone that would tower over her if they were to stand beside her. The thing looked predominantly male but she could not be for sure. The only feature that stood out against the darkness was the startling color of glimmering green eyes. The eyes were narrowed into a very unfriendly appraisal.

She noticed the shadow was clutching something quite firmly inside of their right hand. They were standing in the correct spot, so perfectly stationed that the dull light from the moon was able to penetrate through the umbrella of trees to illuminate the object. It was a curved dagger. One that could be used to carve Isabella's heart out fairly easily.

Almost as if her realization had triggered it, her shadow stalker allowed a slow intimidating smile to cross upon its ominous face. Two rows of sterling white teeth were the only thing that set the ghost apart from the black abyss they were engulfed in.

Her heart dropped into the deepest pits of her stomach and she took off running. She paid no attention to where she was going or how she would possibly make her way back. Her only goal was to get away from the person who had followed her. She kept her eyes trained forward, doing her best to duck the swooping trees, tangled vines, and uprooted ground that was adamant on making her fall.

She pushed herself past exertion, past the point of aching. Her legs were begging her to stop moving so roughly but she could not let herself stop until she found safety. She did not know this forest and her tracker followed her to every place that she'd thought to hide. The chase only ended when a fallen evergreen proved to block her path. It was too large for her to climb over and her stalker was too close for her to attempt to change directions. The only thing she could think of doing was pressing herself up against one of the trees off to the side, she attempted to be very still, and hoped that whoever was following her would think that she'd miraculously escaped.

She heard the sound of its footsteps catching up to where she'd stopped. Her stalker stood still for a moment. She could not see them because she was on the other side of a tree a few feet away. She could hear their labored breathing, understanding that the chase had taken energy out of them as well. She thought that this would be good. If she were forced to defend herself the ghoul would not be at its strongest capacity.

She held her breath as the stalker began to walk slowly, checking around the trees to find if she was there waiting for them to discover. It walked past the tree that she stood against. It did not notice her and continued a few hundred feet forward. She noticed the back of this person and wanted to call them a male again. They were bare chested with defined shoulder blades. That was all that she could see in the black, defined shoulder blades and the silver sword that was slung across their back.

A soft gasp escaped her lips before she could contain. The sound was quiet. It was barely audible against the forest's ambiance. She hoped that it had gone unheard by the sinister shadow.

Her stalker stopped in their tracks. They did not turn around to face her. She could see them standing there. She knew that they were aware of her presence. The shadow's head tilted to the side as if in contemplation.

In the next second, before she could blink or make an exhale, the ghoul made its move against the doleful night. It spun around to confront her so quickly that she hardly had time to see its hand flicker in her direction. A soaring blur of silver and black sky rocketed towards her in a speed that was almost incomprehensible to grasp. She was stuck still. She did not try to move and she was lucky, for if she had tried, the dagger would have caught her with ease. Instead, it implanted itself into the bark of the tree she was against. It was only a fraction of a centimeter away from its target. Which had been her.

She still could not force herself to move and where would she possibly go? The stalker hesitated in its spot. Almost as if it were in utter disbelief that it had missed her. She could see the sagging of disappointed shoulders and she thought that the gesture looked quite childish. It took a few more moments to pout before it began to stalk towards her. It was agile in its movements, incredibly lithe.

The things that ran through her mind as it approached were many. She thought about her brother and the fact that their last conversation was a heated argument. She thought about the fact that now he would undoubtedly find himself orphaned and he would think that she'd left him. She thought about the quick and unfortunate demise of both of her parents. She could not believe they were gone or that she would be joining them so suddenly. She almost began to think about Mike Newton again but the stalker brought her out of her reveries.

It was bolder now. It had come close enough now that she could make out the most of its facial features in the dim gleam of the moonlight. Her pursuer was indeed a boy. He could not be much older than she was if not the same age.

He was handsome. That was something she could tell even with the limited amount of light. He had reddish-brown hair falling across a pale skinned face, and startling green eyes that flashed through the haphazard strands. His jaw was firm and strong, and his nose long but slightly crooked, like it had been broken and left to its imperfections. There was an odd lightness about his eyes though, and a small curve to his lips, as if there was something terribly funny only he knew the answer to. It was that brief wicked glance she caught that said maybe he hadn't broken it but he knew what it looked like. And he liked that. That hint of danger. It made her more apprehensive of his watching eyes.

"I missed." It was the first thing that he uttered to her. His accent was one that did not register familiarly. He spoke English nonetheless and she was glad she could understand him. His tone was uplifted and boyish. It was not what she originally expected from a character so ghastly. He looked at Isabella wryly. They were still several feet away from each other but she could see his reactions very clearly. "I must say that you are very lucky of that fact."

She kept her mouth shut, deciding that if he made any sudden moves that she would take off running towards the left. She thought that he would not expect that from her.

"I am very terribly sorry for chasing you. I thought you to be a vagabond you see." He stopped himself and looked her over once more. "But you are much too pretty to belong to any one of those pirates. I still must ask. What are you doing here?"

Isabella decided to ignore the fact that he'd called her pretty. She liked the words but coming from him she was not so sure. He had just tried to kill her. Sure he had apologized but the entirety of his notions had been rigged with nonchalance. It was almost as if none of this was completely serious to him.

"I am lost." She announced quietly, looking towards him with no less apprehension than before. She saw a sort of smile lift up at the corners of his mouth. "Can you tell me where I am?"

"Why don't you know?" The boy chuckled at what appeared to be her ignorance, his confusion with her was not quite dispelled yet however. Did he call her here? Had he been looking for her? He could not find the answer to any of those questions because he could not even remember what he'd been doing before he'd spotted her so cleverly. He was not quite sure what use a girl could do here though. There had not been one to come here for many years. Maybe this was the sign that he'd been searching for. "This is Neverland."

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**That was chapter one.**

**Enjoy!**

**Read and Review. Let me know what you think about chapter one.**


	3. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer : I do not own Twilight or Peter Pan. The rights belong to Stephenie Meyers and JM Barrie.**

**This is a new story.**

**This is purely fiction.**

**Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

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**CHAPTER TWO**

"Neverland?" The girl pondered curiously, she was not so sure that the name struck her as familiar. She was almost positive that no one from her town had ever spoken of such a place. "Is it very close to England?"

The boy tilted his head to side at her question and Isabella could see that he was somewhat confused. His thick brows knitted together at the center of his forehead. His lips pursed in a terribly long consideration. Just when Isabella thought that she would receive no answer out of him, he opened his mouth to speak.

"More or less." It was the only thing that he offered her.

"More or less?" She repeated, looking into his startling features more intently. A small smile would turn up onto the corners of his mouth at her sign of interest in his appearance. Isabella felt a lush heat swimming inside of her cheeks before she looked away from him quite abruptly. "Would you happen to know the way back?"

"The way back?" This time he repeated her words, but he hardly got them out because the sentence broke away between his youthful chuckles. The girl could not find the source of humor that had enlightened him so heartily. "There is no way back."

He turned his back towards her and began back towards the way they'd come from. She did not understand his actions. It was quite rude to end a conversation without a formal goodbye. A goodbye however, was the last thing that Isabella was looking for. She did not know this strange boy but he was the only person around, and she knew that she had better chances of surviving this forest if there was someone else there beside her.

"Hey!" She called to his retreating figure, she realized that she did not have a name to address him by. She thought to ask for it when she caught up to him. "Wait!"

The boy heard her struggle behind him and he decided to slow down for her sake. It was very easy for someone like her to be killed in this place. She was not the least bit inconspicuous and that inadvertently made her a target. Usually he would let the people who obtained access to this place find their own way. Every person here always found a place to belong. That is if they were able to fend for themselves until they were able to do so.

He knew that if he left this peculiar being that she would be dead by sunrise, or captured by a pirate to suffer an ever worse fate. He could not have that on his conscience. The Lady had taught them all to honor women since they were an especially rare species.

"You were going to leave me alone back there?" She questioned angrily, once she'd fallen back into step beside him. She saw that he was still looking forward and hardly paying attention to the struggle she'd went through to catch up with him. He had insulted her effectively and she thought that he should know it. "You are not very good with guests are you?"

"I could have left you to die." He said easily, making sure to keep his senses alert for any signs of danger. It was best not to be in this part of Neverland after the sun had fallen. "I think most of my other guests would be grateful of that fact."

"What are you called?" She decided to ask, maybe she was being slightly ungrateful. That should be understandable though. She was cold, lost, and entirely confused. This boy wasn't being of much help either.

"My name is Edward." He replied, casting her a brief sideways glance. She liked the name. It was lovely. She did not know if it was fit for this boy though. She had expected something a little more jagged for someone of his character. "Some people around here call me The Prowler however."

"So, that would mean that this place is inhabited after all." The girl said this more to herself than to Edward. She was surprised to learn of this news. She wondered what kind of people stay alive in a place of such treacherous conditions.

"There are an abundance of creatures that inhabit this place." He would say lightly, the ominous tone of his voice did not go unnoticed by Isabella. "There are pirates, mermaids, sprites, fairies, and indians."

The girl's big brown eyes widened at the sound of this. She'd always dreamed of being whisked away to a magical place. It seemed rather unlikely that fairies could exist in the real world. Either this boy was a lunatic or she was further away from England than she'd expected.

"What is this place?" She asked him, inquisitive eyes seeking out answers inside of his youthful exterior.

He looked down at her with a slight amusement, brows raised at the content of her question. He realized that he was not the only person guilty for forgetting things. "This is Neverland. I told you that already."

"No, that is not what I mean Edward."

He stopped his trek abruptly to take a longer look at her. His sudden stop almost caused her to collide with him but he caught a hold of her shoulders and steadied her rather easily. "Well, what do you mean then?"

"I have never ventured into a place quite like this before. I do not really understand how I got here. I don't know what this is."

"Neverland is the place between dreaming and reality. It is where magic and fantasies exist. The people here don't know how it came to be, only that it is, and they accept that fact. There are only three ways that you can end up here."

"Would you like to refresh me with this knowledge?" She asked nicely, despite the fact that she thought this all was very unusual. She wanted to find out all that she could about Neverland.

"Some children meet untimely ends in the real world and they get lost on their journey towards the light. Those children end up here for some time."

Isabella felt a chill of fear shudder throughout her body. Was she dead? She could remember falling asleep in her bed rather restlessly before she ended up in this place.

"Not to worry your pretty little head." He smiled down at her knowingly. She was not dead. He knew that. But he did not know if he'd been the one who called her here. "You did not get here that way."

"Well, what are the other two ways?" She asked, releasing a breath of relief.

"Most of the time I call children here. They hear my voice in their sleep and Poison guides their way. Sometimes I go personally to pick and choose them myself. But I am only able to hear the voices of the lost children."

"Lost children?" She was filled with questions and awaiting answers. "Poison?"

"Oh, Poison is my fairy." He clarified, watching the way the girl's face scrunched with confusion. It was an odd name for a fairy but it fit her personality. "And the lost children are the ones with troubled lives who seek escape."

"Oh." She nodded her head but none of his explanation made sense to her. She could not comprehend the thought of a magical place truly existing, not since she'd lived most of her life in a world that did nothing but crushed her dreams. "And the third way?"

"Some children get lured here by the evil forces that lurk within this place. They become corrupted, their youth is stripped away from them, and they become a part of the pirate clan known as The Volturi."

"I've come to notice that you have not mentioned anything about adults finding their way here." She said this with great interest.

Edward sneered, face crumbling in something that looked like disgust to her. "All adults and pirates must be cut down immediately. Those who find their way here blacken the place with nightmares. This is a place for youth. Where time is never planned, where we can dream forever, not for wicked adults. But for as long as I can remember, there have been people here trying to take over the place. Evil things have been released within this world. It is no longer safe and that is why I am doing all that is in my power to restore it."

"Why are you the one to restore it?" She wondered this and she saw that he was more than thrilled to answer this particular question.

"Because this is my world. I am in charge here." He looked at her pointedly, smirking a little at the tamed expression she wore so easily. "And everyone who lives in Neverlands knows it."

Edward looked around himself, trying to decide if this was a safe enough place to rest until morning. He was not tired but he knew that the girl must have wanted to sit and take a break. The sun light would be peaking through the roof of leaves in no less than a couple of hours.

"We should stop here until dawn." He announced, gauging her expression of disapproval. They were no less submerged in the forest than before. Of course he knew his way out of this greenery but that was not his plan. He was actually intending on taking her deeper into the foliage to where he resided underground with his brothers. That would take some time however. "I think you need to get a least an hour or tow of sleep."

She was not sure if she trusted him all of the way. If she fell asleep in his company he could do all sorts of ghastly things to her.

As if he could read her mind, his polite set of mouth drooped into a frown. "I won't let anything happen to you. You're my responsibility until I get you into a safer environment."

That had won her over. She guessed that she could put her trust in him for now. Or until he proved her otherwise. For now she would take this chance and sleep away some of her confusion and anxiety.

**...**

Edward was able to keep himself awake easily. He was on constant alert as the girl slept beside him. They were nested on the ground. He'd constructed her a bed of leaves to lay upon. It did nothing to lessen the discomfort but he thought it would keep the dirt on top of the forest floor from sticking to her. It was to his knowledge that girls did not like dirty things.

When the first sign of morning struck, the sleeping birds sung themselves awake. There was just enough light creeping through the forest that he could feel a little more at ease with leaving the girl by herself while he went to fetch her some edibles that would hold her off until they made it back to the fort.

He went on his way, aiming to be back before the girl would rise with morning inhibitions.

Isabella oddly would awake, ten minutes after Edward had flitted away. When she rose and saw that she was alone, a feeling of dread surged through her at once. She looked around herself and was glad that she could actually see now. Now she could see that the trees were playing ring-around-the-rosy around her. She was completely surrounded in broad-leaves and pines. There were maples, redwoods, and oaks everywhere. This forest was dense and abundantly equipped with special camouflages of greens ranging from dark, almost black, to the lightest of verdant hues.

The critters that hid themselves within the verdure appreciated this fact.

She stood to her feet with disappointment. Edward had left her quite craftily. He'd fooled her with his feeble attempts at sincerity.

She was lucky that she'd made it through the night she thought. She could navigate with much more ease now. She decided to trek on. It would make more sense than staying in one spot.

She'd only barely taken her first step when Edward appeared out of nowhere. Something within her was frightened by his unexpected arrival and she just about jumped out of her skin.

"Oh my." She placed her hand over her heart, frowning in the humor that he found from scaring her. "It's as if you appeared out of thin air."

"You were planning on leaving me?" He asked curiously, where would she have gone. He thought that she would take heed to what he'd told her about this place yesterday and at least try to be more cautious. If he hadn't come back in time she probably would have found herself running straight into the arms of a pirate. "And where would you be planning to go?"

"I thought you'd abandoned me." She admitted, not announcing the delight that she found upon realizing that had not been the case.

He decided not to comment on her lack of faith in him. "I only went to round up something for you to eat. We have quite a long walk to take."

She was shocked at his thoughtful gesture. She thought for sure that he was some ill-hearted boy that did not care of her well-being. She looked at him with an expression that brought a small smile to his face. In the light, she could see just how much more attractive he was when his features were not being obscured by darkness. She thought that he was the prettiest boy she had ever seen and that was an odd way to describe a boy.

He presented her a basket of berries and nuts. The basket was made out of an intricate twining and coiling of leaves that were different lengths. Someone with this ability of improvisation must surely have learned and adapted to this way of living. She received the gift from him also realizing that in the sunlight she would notice the peculiar way that he was dressed.

Leather leggings were covering his legs. She was sure that he'd made them himself from an animal he must have caught. The pants were stitched together quite carefully with some sort of animal sinew. The boots that he had on were bulky and also made of leather. They came partially up his leg but did not quite make it to his knee. They did not seem heavy and they surely hadn't weighed him down when he'd chased her yesterday. She saw that he was no longer shirtless. His chest was now hidden behind a patch-work tunic. It was different shades of brown and tan, different textures almost. It was as if he'd skinned a couple of different animals and put their hides together to construct the shirt. He was very innovative. She would give him that.

"Thank you." She said to him quietly, he did not have to do this kind deed for her. She picked up one of the dark purple berries and popped it into her mouth. It burst open with sweetness and juice when she bit into it. That was the instance where she'd recognized just how hungry she actually was. "They're delicious."

"I would have picked more but I had a feeling that you would awake and do something incredibly stupid." He chuckled at his own joke and at the way that she frowned at his insult. It was so easy to fluster her. He decided that he would make it a habit of his.

"This is just fine." She replied curtly, tossing her withered hair over her shoulders indignantly. "There is somewhere that you wish to take me?"

"Oh yeah." She found it odd that he only seemed to remember this fact through her reminding him. How could he have forgotten that in the span of a couple minutes?

"I have to take you to the fort to meet the Lost Boys."

He did not give her a chance to ask who these particular boys were or what this fort was that he spoke of. He turned towards a passage of ascending trees and began in that direction. He gave her no word so she did the logical thing. She followed after him.

They must have been walking for a few hours and Isabella was surprisingly full off of her meal of blackberries and cashews. Edward led the silent girl with purposeful intent. When they'd crossed a threshold of vines that hung from the towering tree above like curtains, they were welcomed with the warm glowing orb that Isabella only vaguely remembered. She thought that this meant they were close to where they were going.

"Hello Poison." She heard Edward speaking to the glowing ball as it hovered near his face. She found herself mesmerized at the sight of it because she knew there to be a fairy somewhere within that radiant light. "Have you longed for my return?"

The fairy chimed something indescribable. It sounded like the twinkling of bells to Isabella's ears but not anything close to a language. Edward seemed to have some understanding with it however. Poison fluttered around Edward's form, sending a ring of golden powder around him. It was their form of a hug the brown-haired girl would assume.

Edward laughed at the little creature and patted his shoulder where the glimmer would take refuge. Isabella could not take her eyes off of it.

The twinkling sound emerged again and it caused Edward to smile. Isabella wished that she knew what the tiny creature was saying.

"Poison says that it is rather unkind of you to stare at her so blatantly." Edward said this teasingly, but a small blush appeared on Isabella's cheeks anyway. She was quite embarrassed with her impoliteness.

"Tell her that I am quite apologetic." Isabella said quickly, putting cold hand up to her face to calm its extreme warmth. "I only find her exceptionally fascinating."

"Don't worry." Edward said to her lightly, offering her a reassuring look. His tone was easy and upbeat. This made her feel less remorseful for her actions. "Poison will warm up to you. She's just upset that she isn't the only girl any longer."

Poison uttered something in his ear very quickly and in a way that allowed Isabella to see how irritated the fairy was with her presence.

"Poison watch your mouth. You might offend our new friend" Edward chided his fairy playfully, but he was secretly amused with the fact of her jealousy. She was an eccentric little creature. "It is rather horrid for a lady to use such profanity and you shouldn't call other people a bitch."

Isabella gasped at the inappropriateness, and this was enough to bring the blush back onto her face. Had she upset the fairy that much? She would never think to call someone out of there name. Let along label them so harshly. She was very insulted but kept her sour feelings to herself.

She followed Edward until he stopped in front of a large tree. It was no different than any of the other giant trees within the forest except that it was extremely covered in a mass of hanging leaves. It gave no impression of something terribly hidden. It blended in well with the rest of the trees around it. She would not have expected Edward to move the cover of leaves to the side to reveal a large opening in the trunk of the tree. Isabella guessed that a grown man could even fit through the opening. She was not so sure what Edward expected her to do.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" He asked, nodding towards the dark entrance that only left the destination of where it would take her to Isabella's imagination.

"It is very dark inside." She said, not wanting to announce the fact that the darkness perturbed her. "Is there no light on the inside?"

"Only when you get underground. There are some spaces above that allow light to penetrate through."

He could see her hesitation but he did not understand it. Why was this girl so mistrusting? She was impossibly confusing and he felt his head tilting at the sight of her oddities.

"I think that you should go first."

"I wouldn't be able to cover the hideaway back up and I don't think you know how to do it effectively. It is very important that this place stays hidden. How about I just send Poison in in front of you? She can lead the way."

The fairy began to protest lividly and it transcended into a disagreement between her and the boy. Isabella knew that Poison would not like being told to aid her in any way. The boy was smiling lightly at the fairy for the first couple of seconds until she began to irritate him.

"Poison, you must misunderstand me." He said at once, a stern expression had replaced his jovial one very quickly. "This is not a request. This is an order."

He snatched the trembling ball off of his shoulder and launched her into the hole. Isabella was amazed by the streak of glitter that was left behind her. She could hear the irate sound of Poison's confusing language. She could only imagine the profanities that she was being called now.

"I'll be in right after you." He announced, taking her hand and heading her towards the opening. The feeling of his warm grip was enough to comfort her. She looked at him and almost wanted to say something meaningful. She did not know what it was yet but it was on the very tip of her tongue. "It should be light enough to see your way to the bottom."

"The bottom?" She tried to question as she stepped inside, and she was not prepared for the slant in the ground. She slipped onto her backside, realizing that the terrain beneath her had been caved into a slide of some sorts. She only had time to open her mouth for the shriek of surprise that intended to find its way out of her mouth. It didn't quite make it out before she started to skid down the bumpy soil.

Her arms shot out to grab onto something for support but there was nothing but packed dirt that crumbled between her fingers. She kept her eyes trained on the path of light that Poison had left behind her, and eventually the slide came to a very abrupt and uneven end.

She dropped another half of a foot, until she landed soundly on her bottom. A flurry of dust flared into a cloud around her from her impact. She could say that she was winded and that sensation only increased when the sound of rushed voices began to emerge from within the tunnel.

She stood to her feet, only had time to take in a very minimal amount of her surroundings, before three unfamiliar figures came into her line of vision.

They all looked at her peculiarly, as if measuring her up. She was sure that each one of them could have ended her right there. She was grateful that they seemed to equally interested by her as she was with them.

One of the boys stood more out in front than the other two. He was tall and broad-shouldered with a mop of dark curly hair and heavy solemn brows that were offset by his boyish grin. A pair of dark brown eyes locked onto hers, almond shaped and wide with some sort of amusement. Isabella could not deny that there was something incredibly endearing about his dimples.

The first thing she noticed about the boy to his left was his wishful eyes. They were painted blue and as clear as any summer sky that Isabella had ever seen. He pursed his lips as his head cocked to the side in consideration. Unruly blond hair curled around his face.

The last one had to be the most peculiar out of the bunch. He was totally still, almost startlingly so. His hair was a dark mousy-brown. It was overgrown and shoulder length, quite scraggly if Isabella was being honest. His eyes, however, were not flat in their darkness. They almost glowed, like the remaining embers of a dying fire. Something gold twinkled inside of the green of his irises.

The trio continued to silently reflect upon the news of a girl, and the girl continued to wearily ponder the fact of their friendliness. They were all associated with Edward. So she thought that they would think before striking against her.

The sound of someone coming down the chute alerted them all. It was Edward. He made his way down the slide in record speed, landing on his feet quite gracefully when he reached the bottom. There was a slight smile on his face and even a little bit of excitement around the corner of his eyes.

"Boys I see that you've met..." He trailed off, realizing that he had yet to receive her name. How ungentlemanly of him.

"Isabella." She clarified quietly, glancing at him with relief. She was glad that he had come. Though the looks on the boys' faces seemed to twist even more with confusion. "I am Isabella Swan."

With a stern look from Edward, the trio seemed to come to their senses. It was only polite to introduce themselves. It was not a spoken rule but somehow they knew that must always be polite around a girl.

"They call me Ace." The one in front spoke first. His voice was thunderous and seemed to echo off of the walls of the cave. The boisterous sound of it fit with his burly appearance.

"My name is Blaze." The peculiar one said, flashing the gold of his eyes towards her nicely. He offered her a bow that ignited something inside of her. She was quite flattered with his gallantry. "It is nice to meet you Isabella."

The blond was the last to speak but he was no less polite than the other two. "You can call me Knox."

"There are two more for you to meet." Edward said, nodding his head casually. "Their names are Dagger and Gadget. They must be out hunting."

"Where did you find this one at?" Ace asked curiously, looking Isabella over with great delight. He enjoyed having new people around. It was always interesting after spending so long with the same group of people. Edward had mentioned something about possibly calling a new person here. That was strange since it had been decades since a new person was allowed to venture here. It was even stranger that this new person turned out to be a girl.

"She was wandering through Tiki Forest by herself. I mistook her for a harlot and almost lopped off her head. She was quite distraught. I could not leave her to the evils of the forest so I brought her here."

"Dagger might not be thrilled with this news." Blaze would say, casting his weary eyes away from the girl. "You know he hates it when you don't include everyone in on your decisions."

"Even if I'd held the meeting, would he only not have disputed against me?" Edward gave little to no regards about the heat that was sure to occur between him and his brother today. "No use in wasting our breaths in an argument that I would undoubtedly end up winning."

"There is already one person against her staying here." Ace chimed in, rumbling with laughter as he shook his head.

Isabella felt fearful at the thought of not being welcomed. What would they do with her? Would they vote? Would Edward decide that the unhappiness of his brothers was not worth the trouble of taking care of her?

"Oh, don't mind Poison." Edward advised his brothers, knowing that she'd flown in here and probably thrown a fit. She was tucked away somewhere within the walls of the cavern. He would leave her to sulk and possibly pacify her when she was calmed down. "She doesn't get a say-so anyway."

"A say in what?" An unfamiliar voice came from a different part of the cave. Isabella turned to see two more males emerging from a hallway that was to the left of Ace. She had no idea how they'd gotten inside unless there were multiple points of access into the cave.

Three of the four boys in the room tensed at the entrance of this voice. Isabella found her fear growing from their reactions.

Her eyes landed on him as soon as he made it to the center of the room. He had been helping the boy who'd entered with him carry the weight of a freshly slain caribou over their shoulders. The thing was bloody and dripping and looked very repulsive. Isabella had to look away from the cold stare of the mutilated creature for she was sure that she'd be sick if she continued to look at it.

She wondered what they would use it for. Possibly to eat and for clothes.

When he saw her, he dropped his end of the caribou angrily. Leaving the other boy to struggle by himself.

"What the hell is this?" He asked in a threatening hiss, narrowing his grey eyes at Isabella's form. She felt herself shrink back at the intensity of his gaze.

He was smaller than some of the others, a bit lanky even, but strength represented itself in the toned form of his body. His skin was the fairest of fair and sun-kissed all over with freckles. The intensity of his copper colored hair was just red enough to bring out the faint shades of pink inside of his cheeks.

"Seems we've got ourselves some new company." The other new face said. There was irritation in his voice as well but Isabella was sure that it had more to do with the fact that he'd been left to hold the heavy animal by himself. "Edward you do never cease to amaze me."

This boy's hair was short and pointed in many directions. It was sandy-brown and chopped carelessly in different lengths. He was lean and as youthful as the rest of them. His hazel eyes lit up with intuition. His smile tilted upon Isabella's appraisal of him.

"That's Gadget." Ace announced, chuckling at what his brother had said before. They all had qualms about Edward always doing things without consulting them. They on the other hand could not think to do anything without his approval at first. It was best not to dwell too much on Edward's actions. He could not read what his followers wanted, nor did he care. He only knew of his wants. He was very in touch with his own feelings. It was something that all of them had learned but one. "And that is Dagger."

"What the fuck is there a girl doing in here?" Dagger shot his narrowed eyes towards the person that he knew to be the cause of this. Edward only looked at him calmly. It was what he wanted. So that was how it was going to be. "Do any of you even slightly have an idea of how idiotic this is?"_  
_

Isabella didn't dare utter a word. She just hoped that someone would come to her defense.

"I brought her here." Edward stood up to his actions. He was not afraid of anyone who opposed him and only one of his brothers lost their tempers enough to do so. "She belongs to this pack now."

"The hell she doesn't!" Dagger glared at his brother with disapproval. He did not like how Edward only thought of himself. Having a girl here would do no one any good. "What can she even hope to contribute? She'll be killed by nightfall if we send her away."

"That is exactly my point. What would you have me done with her?" He raised his bronzed brows with the content of his question, sending his brother a thoughtful look. "You'd rather me have left her out there to die?"

"You're never so considerate with anyone else that meanders into this world." Dagger accused pointedly, calling his brother out on his bullshit. He was aware that Edward only wanted to keep her for a trophy. He only chose to save her because she was something pleasant to look at.

"Well, she is a girl." Gadget said from beside him, finally deciding on just dropping the caribou to the floor. Dust flew up upon its landing. Isabella hoped briefly that they would give that thing a thorough cleaning before attempting to put it to use. "Girls have to be especially taken care of."

"We already have enough responsibilities." Dagger looked toward his brothers, some of them nodded their heads in agreement but they would not speak against Edward's decision. "Now Edward expects us to tow the girl around everywhere?"

"Maybe she can stay in the fort. She can cook and keep it clean in here." Isabella scowled indignantly at Ace's suggestion, it was incredibly sexist. Though it was exactly what her life would consist of if she was back in England with Michael.

"No." He quickly took that back, taking note of her displeasure. "How silly of me."

"You should have called a meeting like you always do before you bring someone back here."

"How could I have accomplished that if I had no idea that she was coming?" Isabella could see that Edward was beginning to lose patience with his brother. His tone had take on a more ominous edge. "I ran into her by chance. Is that so hard for you to grasp."

"Don't insult my intelligence." Dagger spat, shooting a infuriated look towards the girl. She had yet to make a sound. She was so weak that she could not even speak up on her own behalf. She could have at least tried to stand up to him, that would have almost impressed him, even if he knew that he would have shot down her attempts rather closed-mindedly.

"Don't question my choices then."

"If I don't then who will?" Dagger looked across the room at all of his brothers. They were all too entranced with Isabella's genetics to even listen to what he had to say.

"No one. That's the point." Edward took a heated step towards his defiant brother. He needed to make this very clear. He was in charge here and he absolutely hated it whenever Dagger forgot that fact. "This is my world. My choice."

"Of course." Dagger said sarcastically, withdrawing himself from the argument. He did not do this because he was afraid of Edward. He did this because he knew that he had no chance of winning this argument. Once Edward made a decision he would never take it back, even if it was a poor decision. "It's your world and no one else matters."

"She's staying." Edward said with a finality that ended the entire conversation and subject. He did not care about voting. He did not care who wanted the girl here and who didn't. She would stay with them until he figured out her purpose. Because if she was who he really thought she was then that meant she could help him save this place. "And there is nothing left to it."


	4. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer : I do not own Twilight or Peter Pan. The rights belong to Stephenie Meyers and JM Barrie.**

**This is a new story.**

**This is purely fiction.**

**Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE**

The rest of the room would fill in silence. For some time the six boys and one girl would stand quietly in the safety of the underground canal. Ace was the first person to think of something to say, or maybe he was just most prone to breaking the ice. They all had tons of things to say. Even Isabella had comments and questions that she'd wanted to voice, but she wouldn't dare bring anymore unwelcome attention onto herself than there already was.

"We must show Isabella the way through these caves." He thought that it only made a fruitful amount of sense. The girl would undoubtedly get lost trying to navigate through the trenches. They'd built it in such a manner that only those who knew the rules of the mechanism could make sense of it.

At night it grew exceptionally dark. Only knowing the way by heart would aid her or maybe the help of a fairy's glow. The latter was rather unlikely however.

"Yes Ace." Edward nodded his head in approval, casting his verdant gaze in Isabella's direction. There was so much to be done with her, but he also could not forget his other duties. "We shall show Isabella the right of passage."

Isabella chuckled to herself because Edward had misused the term so easily. A smile would lift up upon his face at the sound of it. He thought her glee was due to the fact that she was being allowed to stay. It was partially true. She was relieved that she had a place to be and that she did not have to worry about that any longer.

The thought of Junior had yet to leave her mind however. He would mistake her absence for abandonment. He would think that she left him out of spite. He would curl in on himself as a person, become the shell of a lost boy, and she knew that he would never forgive her.

She had been pondering about whether or not she should talk to Edward about this. He was in charge of this place. That meant that he could possibly grant Charles the same access that he'd granted her. If she were to talk to him however, she decided that it would be best to do that when they were alone.

"Wait." Gadget would say, a small smile was tilting its way onto his mouth. He looked at Isabella with appraising eyes. There was light there. Isabella found herself falling into his glittering gaze with interest. "We haven't given her a new name yet."

"A new name?" She wondered aloud, looking towards Edward for confirmation. He nodded his head slightly and she wondered why her current name was not good enough. "Have all of you been given new names then?"

"That's right." Blaze commented quietly, Isabella saw that she could not keep her attention focused on just one of them. They were all so interesting and so very new. "That's a rule of this world. You have to leave your old self behind."

"You have to forget your other life..." Edward explained with ease, paying close attention to the way the girl's face would change at his words. She had to accept all of these things to be allowed here. It was something that none of them understood at first, but now it made perfect sense to them all. "In order to start a new one. A better one."

"That is a terrifying thought. To forget where one came from." Isabella stated, refusing to consider the thought of banishing her brother, her parents, and all of the time they'd spent together out of the confines of her memory. It was ghastly and wrong. Memories were the only thing that she could hold onto. "So you all have not a clue who your parents were?"

"Parents?" Edward scoffed at the term, the very idea of being assigned to someone who would tell him what he could and could not do was repulsing.

"Those are dastardly people whose main purpose is to suck the fun out of your life." Ace's face mirrored Edward's almost. Though there was more humor than disgust laced within his expression. "Why would we want to remember such a time of oppression?"

"Whatever we got away from..." Dagger started, eyes narrowed onto hers intently. He did not expect her to understand the same things that they did. She was not one of them and she would never be. "We got away for a reason."

"So, it's better not to remember?" She asked them all, looking at each one of their confirmed faces. They all seemed to agree on this particular thing. She found this odd however. "Wouldn't remembering the misfortune of your other life prove to exemplify your gratefulness?"

"Gratefulness?" Ace asked curiously, cocking his head to the side at this girl. He would admit that he liked her. She was pretty and interesting enough.

"Why yes." She smiled lightly. "Gratefulness for Edward allowing you to live here."

Ace opened his mouth to respond but Edward beat him to it. "If you are not always at your pinnacle of gratitude then you do not belong here."

"And do you know what happens to those who do not belong?" Dagger would prompt, ignoring the slight protests from his brothers. He even ignored the stern look that Edward would give him. None of that mattered to him. If the girl was one of them now then she deserved to know everything that they knew.

"I can only imagine that I would not like to know." She did not like the nasty smirk that pulled apart Dagger's lips. He was extremely intimidating to her and she was not so sure why he liked to bring that frightened reaction out of her. She had not been here nearly long enough to have offended him.

"She is right." Edward would speak up with an authority that reminded Dagger where his place was. Girls were fragile creatures. They were meant to be protected and pampered upon. Or at least, that was what The Lady had told Edward. Dagger was his brother and he had been for many years now, but that did not mean that Dagger got any special privileges. Edward was still his leader and he would still have to abide by Edward's rules. "That's enough Dagger."

The red-haired boy would only hitch his shoulders at the command. He was openly defiant and Edward knew that to be a problem. It was nothing worth bickering over though. The two of them had been butting heads since Dagger's very first day of arrival. They were both too stubborn and too rebellious.

Sometimes the similarities worked out in their favor. They could be the best team that was to ever be composed. Most of the time, and this was true fact, their similarities would repel them into quarrels unlike any others ever heard of. In the end, there was always one true winner. It would always be that way. Dagger did not have to like it but he knew that he had to accept it.

"Our names are very significant." Blaze spoke up again, in that quiet voice that was so hauntingly appealing to Isabella's ears. She thought this was interesting. She had noticed the strange manner of the names that they'd introduced themselves as. They were named like pets rather than human beings. "They define us individually."

"Do tell me then." She encouraged, offering the soft-spoken boy a smile that he found very warm. "How does the name Blaze define your character."

"He has a knack for fire." Edward answered this for his brother. Isabella would expect Edward to be the one to reward them with these names. He was their master and they were his pack of followers. "Sometimes if given the time, he will stare into the flames of a fire for hours. That is why his eyes have partaken such a precarious gleam to them."

"Would do you mean when you say a knack for fire?" Isabella did not know if she understood this fully.

"He can make a fire out of anything, at any given time, and in any given place." Ace smirked loftily, giving his brother the credit where it was due. Isabella found that his skill must be very useful in this type of environment. The only light was that from the sun. "It is almost like he can completely control the element to his vices."

"What does your name mean?" Isabella asked the burly boy, his dimples flashed arrogantly at her interest in him.

"I am named Ace because I am the best at everything."

"What an haughty fool." Gadget said jokingly, laughing in amusement as he teased his brother. Isabella even chuckled a little though she would expect Edward to be given the nickname for being the best. She liked Ace's playfulness. It was doing well to put her at ease.

"He is named Ace because I find him to be highly valuable." Edward clarified patiently, this was his thorough explanation. It was the simplest reason why he had chosen that name for his brother. "More valuable than some but less valuable than others."

"Who would be the most valuable then?" Isabella wondered if it were in her place to ask that question or if it would offend one of them.

The only response Edward gave her was the slow shaking of his head.

"He will never tell us. I guess he likes to make things difficult." Ace said wryly, though it was clear that he thought it to be himself. "Edward thinks that if we know who he considers the most valuable then it will decrease our performance. He always needs us at our very best."

That made sense to her. They truly were like pets. They all wanted to please him and be his best. If they knew who the best was then they'd most likely stop trying out of disappointment. Isabella decided that she would figure out who the most valuable was by herself. It would take some time and careful studying but one of them deserved to be awarded the title.

"My name is Gadget because I am the one who crafts everything around here that is of usefulness." His hazel eyes twinkled at this. He knew that he was useful and that it was quite an impressive title. "I can make small things, little things, metal things, wooden things..."

"So, I must assume that you create all of the weapons?" She'd seen them up close and personal for herself. Edward had a sword and a dagger. She knew that his other brothers must carry an arsenal of weapons around with them too. It was what they used to hunt she presumed.

"Oh yes." Gadget nodded his head, running his grimy fingers through his sandy-brown hair. Isabella wanted to comment on the fact that he'd painted some of the caribou's blood onto his scraggly locks, but she thought that it wouldn't have mattered to him anyway. They were all exceptionally filthy with dust. "I hand-make everything."

"What about Knox?" Isabella would ask, casting her doe-eyed gaze towards the boy who'd spoken the least out of everyone else in the room. He was extremely quiet but they all seemed to be used to that. "What of his name?"

She wondered if he would answer for himself. He looked at her with clear-blue eyes but he gave her no indication that he'd wanted to talk. She found him peculiarly alluring.

"Do you know of Henry Knox?" Edward asked curiously, he thought she should have since she was from Earth. He'd been there over thousands of times throughout the years. Even hundreds of years before Isabella had even been born. Henry Knox should have been someone that Isabella would learn of through schooling. "He was a military officer from your world."

"I do believe that I read about him somewhere." Isabella replied, trying to tie the significance together.

"Well, I gave Knox the name in his honor. He is my right-hand man when we go to war because of his advanced skills in combat and artillery."

"He doesn't talk much does he?" Isabella inquired, sending the boy another look of curiosity. There was still no response but it did not seem that his silence was solely directed towards her.

"It's not necessarily that he doesn't talk much." Edward tried to make clear, knowing that it was something that she'd have to see for herself. Know was a complex person and he was not easy to figure out. "It's just that he doesn't talk unless he has something important to say."

"He's filled to the brim with interesting stories. Don't take his silence for a lack of depth." Blaze said in fondness. "He spends most of his time reading and studying. You can probably ask him anything and he will have an explanation for it."

There was one boy that Isabella was mostly curious of. She was afraid to direct any of her attention towards him though. Dagger seemed to pick up on her reluctance and he was thankful for that. If she did not ask, then he would not tell. He refused to baby her like all of his brothers did.

"Aren't you the least bit curious about Dagger's name?" Ace would ask knowingly, he was aware that she would not ask herself. Dagger had effectively instilled fear within her core. Ace could tell her not to worry, that Dagger was very harmless, but then he would be lying through his teeth.

"I am actually." She said quietly, raising her eyes towards Edward's calm features instead of the boy who'd done nothing but glare at her since he'd noticed her presence.

"I gave him the name Dagger because I..."

"I can tell the story myself." Dagger volunteered in irritation, casting a disapproving look towards Edward. It was his business so it should be his choice whether or not he wanted to share it with her. "If only she wouldn't have had the qualms to ask."

"I apologize." Isabella dared a look in his direction. She was surprised to see that the expression on his face was very neutral, though his eyes were glazed over with something that resembled nostalgia. "I would like to know why you are called Dagger."

"What you would like is none of my concern." He said unkindly, letting her know that he was not explaining herself because it was what she wanted him to do. He was explaining himself because it was something that she needed to know. "Don't think of my words as a way to calm your wants."

"Of course not." Isabella replied, shrinking back from his intensity. He looked like he would burn with anger if he were to be touched. She'd never seen a person so volatile and unpleasant.

"I did not come to this place alone. I came with a lady." This was all he was willing to give her about that part. "I hope you are aware of the evils that lurk in this place. It would be rather ignorant of you to think of this as paradise."

"Edward has informed me." She thought she may have witnessed a brief disappointment in his features, because if she had not known about the horrors this place could produce, Dagger would want to be the one to inform her of them.

"The evil caught a hold of her. She was unable to protect herself from it." Dagger narrowed his eyes pointedly, it was one of the reasons why her presence here did not make sense. She would never be able to protect herself. Getting attached to her would be a very senseless idea. She would not last long in this place. "She turned against me then. She belonged to the corrupted."

"And what happened?" Isabella felt a pinch in her heart for this boy, she did not know how she could feel sympathy for him at all but it was not difficult.

He did not have to tell her that he had been in love with the lady in his story. It was a secret that was written across his facial expressions.

"One night while I was sleeping, she would sneak my dagger out of the holster at my hip. It was the same dagger that I'd slain so many people to protect her with." The red-haired boy cocked his head to the side, the slightest of sad smiles turned up at his lips. Isabella wanted to look away from the desolation but she could not. She almost thought that she could feel a bit of his pain. "She plunged that dagger right into my chest. It got lodged between my rib cage. The only thing that stopped it from reaching my heart was the curved blade."

The room was silent again. Isabella did not know what to say to him. She had sympathetic words but she hardly thought that he would accept them.

"I found him bleeding out near the beach. I could have left him there to die." Edward spoke, his voice was a ghostly whisper against the tortured atmosphere. He looked at his brother, the one that would forever be in his graces.

Dagger was grateful for Edward's sacrifice. He was aware that without the help of his leader he would not be alive. That was possibly the biggest reason why his loyalty never dwindled. No matter how aggravating or insufferable Edward might be at times. He would give his life for his brother. That was fact.

"But surely, something compelled you to save him." Isabella said, wide-eyed and contrite. She dared a look at Dagger's expressionless face and he stared right past her. His gaze was set upon Edward's, as if he too were awaiting an answer.

"I'm not quite so sure why I did it. Now I might even call it a mistake." This was a joke. Evasiveness. It was a way for Edward to pretend like he had not done it simply out of sympathy.

Dagger's lips twitched in an amusement that he kept easily contained. "He will never give me a direct answer. I've still to figure out what his reasoning consisted of."

"Let us say that it was sheer intuition." Edward said easily. "And nothing more than that."

"A new name." Ace brought this topic up again, much to Isabella's dislike. "Something that is fit for her."

"Well, she's not very strong." Gadget commented thoughtfully.

"Or smart." Dagger quipped, daring her to oppose him with the flash of his stormy eyes.

"I will decide." Edward announced, bringing it back to their awareness, that he would be the one naming her. He knew of only one way to describe her though and that was through her beauty. "I shall call you Bella, which means the beautiful one."

Isabella felt warm. It was an instant reaction to his compliment. This was the second time that he'd expressed his thoughts of her attractiveness. She found that his opinion mattered to her. If he thought that she was pretty than she must be pretty.

"Will you accept your new identity?" He looked at her with a seriousness that was not misplaced, though there was a hint of softness at his lips for her.

She did not announce that she was already accustomed to the name, or that she actually preferred it over he formal one. She thought that if they knew the change was not much of a big deal to her, then it would not mean the same thing somehow.

So she looked up at Edward meekly. His green eyes were appraising her. "I shall accept."

In the next moment, all of the boys in the room would throw their heads back and howl in excitement and cheer, like a pack of uncivilized wolves. Even Dagger and Know joined in what seemed to be their very own tradition.

Bella felt uplifted at their actions. She knew that it meant they'd accepted her. Even the one who was most opposed to her staying here. Her access was granted and she was there to stay.

**...**

Next, the boys showed Bella the way through their underground home. It consisted of a series of long hallways and hollow rooms. She was surprised by the intricate architecture of the structure, and even more surprised that they'd built the thing entirely by hand.

She'd learned that the room she'd met everyone in was the foyer. It was the main entry into their secret quarters, but there were also three additional ways to enter through different sections of the house.

There were three arched doorways in the foyer. Two on each respective side of the room and one straight ahead. She was taken down the hall towards the left first. It was a long, stretching corridor that led them deeper into underground canals. The floor transitioned into dirt caved steps that descended into a room that Bella recognized as an impromptu wash room.

It was dark. The only thing lighting the way was a torch Blaze had lightened for her. With the torch, she could vaguely see a concave tub. It surely had to melded by hand and out of some type of rusted metal. There must of been a stream running through from up above because water flowed into the tub like a waterfall.

There were coal rocks stationed around the tub to be set on fire. She inferred that this was how they heated up their water for baths.

The next hall the ventured down was the one all the way to the right side of the foyer. It led to what she guessed was their kitchen and dining room. This hallway was not long like the other. It was short and narrow, which forced them to walk in a single file line.

They'd constructed a large fire pit out of outsized stone and brick. They had poles of bamboo inserted from wall to wall which probably held their food or cloth up to dry. Tables and chairs were made out of many different types of wood. The credit for this was given to Gadget.

The last hallway led to their sleeping chambers. They all had their own alcove, hidden from the outside by curtains or fur that acted as the door. The rooms looked like they'd literally been dug out of a pack of dirt. They were all very small, with not enough space for more than a bed and a table. It was comfortable enough for them though. Isabella had no problem with it either.

"We will go to work soon." Edward promised lightly, about the fact that she did not have her own room yet. "You can take my bed until we are done with your room."

"Where will you sleep then?" Isabella was very flattered by his suggestion. He was noble for that. "I would hate to put you out of your comfort zone."

"I will rest on the bear rug in the foyer." He said this as if it made no difference to him. He did not sleep much anyway. There was always far too many things for him to do. He would rather do anything but spend his life sleeping away chances for fun.

"Nonsense." Isabella shook her brunette head, looking down at the ground in timidness of what she would offer. "I would feel better if you were to share the room."

"You want me to sleep with you?" Something about the thought excited him. He did not know why. There were not any duplicitous intentions an ounce within the boy. He would not have known what to do with a girl if she laid herself upon him, but there was something primal in his psyche that liked the idea of keeping her so close.

"I do admit that it is inappropriate." Isabella tried to hide the blush that was spreading across her face. She was embarrassed and he smiled at her discomfort. "But I think I like that solution better."

"You could always sleep with me." Ace would say suggestively, which brought upon a crude bought of laughter between the pack of boys. This made the girl flush even brighter with mortification.

"Shut up Ace." Edward replied, with an irritation that he did not understand. Jealousy was not a word he used often. He had no reason to. Now, he was not so sure but the thought of anyone else claiming the girl upset him.

"Better watch what you say around him." Dagger said sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he pushed past them to disappear down the hallway. "The girl will bring out the worst temper in him that you've ever seen."

Edward said nothing to that. Even if it were true.

"Whose turn is it to prepare supper?" He changed the subject quite easily. They were always hungry. "Dagger and Gadget hunted so Ace and Knox must cook right?"

"No." Ace shook his head, they all hated to cook. It was some kind of stipulation in all boys it seemed. "I cooked last time. Blaze is supposed to clean and Knox is supposed to cook this time."

"I am quite hungry." Bella admitted quietly, then she remembered what Dagger and Gadget had dragged home. She did not know if she would be willing to eat that.

"Supper should be done around nightfall." It was the way they always did things. It was a system that they followed. Everyone had responsibilities that shifted and changed each day. Some of them hunted, others were assigned guard duties, some of them cleaned, others cooked the meal. It was a way to keep things efficient and easy. "I'd like to show you around some more until then."

Edward took Bella out through a way that landed them exceptionally far from the forest they had entered in through. They climbed out of the cleverly obscured hole and Bella noticed that they were close to a beach. She followed him silently towards the sand and ocean.

"I haven't seen Poison all day." Bella commented, walking towards the shore to dip her toes into the salty water. She'd never seen an ocean up close before. The sight of one was more breathtaking than she had ever imagined. She only wished that Junior could have been here to see it.

"Perhaps she doesn't want to be seen." He replied quietly, tilting his head to the side. His eyes watched the waves and beyond the waves. There was no sign of what he expected to see there. He was happy for that fact. "She'll probably be a while before she comes out of hiding."

"Is she really so upset with me?" Bella had not done anything to her but exist. She was not ignorant about the way women operated however. She supposed that she would be upset too, if her favorite person in the whole world stumbled upon someone else that he found fascinating.

"Fairies are small creatures. They're only able to harbor one single emotion at a time." Edward's glanced at Bella and smiled. "Anger and jealousy are often consuming. Maybe you are too beautiful for your own good."

"What does beautiful mean to you?" He used the word frequently she noticed, the way he said it made her feel jittery on the inside.

"Well, doesn't it mean something that is pleasant to look at?" His boyish tendencies would prompt this answer out of him. He did not know what she expected to hear.

"And you like the way I look?" She wondered vainly, relishing to hear his appraisal.

He put a finger under her chin and forced her to look up at him. His eyes were dark green and their was a wry expression sauntering across the length of his face. "I think that you know just how pretty you are."

"I was told frequently where I came from." She looked down sadly. "Neighbors would tell my parents that my brother and I were the prettiest things they ever did say."

"You have a brother?" Edward asked curiously, struggling to figure out why the smile had slipped from her face so easily. "Are you having a difficult time forgetting him?"

"I would never think to forget him!" Bella's brows knitted together, she gave him a look that told him she was not willing to let her other life go. "He was all that I had left."

"How many years does he have?" He thought that it would make her happy if her brother was here with her. He thought that he would like to see her happy from his doing.

"He is fourteen."

"Well, can he fight very well?" Edward was already walking on thin ice for bringing Bella here. He did not know how they would feel if he went to get another. They hadn't welcomed anyone new for decades but that was for a very specific reason. If he brought another back, he had to be sure that they could contribute to the pack somehow.

"Oh no, a true gentlemen never fights." Bella took pride in this. Edward deflated at the news.

"Is he able to hunt?" Edward's brows rose with the content of his question. He had to learn of the boy's assets. She had to give him a reason for him to be allowed here.

"I don't believe that he has tried." Bella's face scrunched in confusion as she looked up at him. She wondered why he was asking all of these questions.

"Does he have a knack with building things?"

"If he did have all of these things..." Isabella cocked her head to side in realization. "You would be willing to bring him here?"

"Well yes, everyone must contribute. Even you." Edward said pointedly, smiling just a little. "Though I still haven't found out what you are good at."

"I can sew very well and I am even fonder of cooking."

This made Edward smile widely. "Then I did not make a mistake by bringing you here. I can't expect you to offer the same things that the boys do. Cooking and sewing would be just fine but there is the issue of your brother still."

"He is very clever and very well mannered." Bella nodded her head proudly. "Since he is quite young, I am sure that he will look up to his brothers. They might even be delighted to have someone they can teach."

"Yes, I think that they would." Edward looked at Bella with green eyes, he liked seeing her delighted with him. He wanted to be the person that she liked most. Maybe that was just his competitive streak. Or maybe it was a desire that was inside every male. "I have decided that I will bring him here."

Bella could not stop herself from throwing her arms around the boy. He was startled at first but she did not respond to his hesitance. She kept her arms locked around him, swelling up with an abundance of happiness. She just knew that Junior would absolutely love it here.

"Thank you." You pressed a kiss of gratitude onto his cheek.

He had never received a kiss before. Nor had he ever heard of the action.

"What was that?" He wondered, touching his fingers onto the skin that she'd singed with her warm lips.

"A kiss." She replied, with scrunched brows and pursed lips. It was an odd thing to ask she thought. 'Haven't you ever known of the concept?"

He shook his head and that was the only answer that he could offer her. He was still trying to figure out why her warmth had lingered on him so snugly, or why he wanted to wrap his arms around her and return this said kiss.

"A kiss is something that someone gives another person when they are happy with them." She tried to explain this to the best of her abilities. "It usually occurs only between a girl and a boy, and only between two people that care something for each other."

"I will do well to make you happy with me." His lips turned up into a crooked smile. She'd given him her kiss. It was a sacred thing it seemed. And she had chosen him to give it to. "I shall leave for your brother at dawn."


End file.
